Pope Pius IX: Papacy is Antichrist
Pope Pius IX (1846-1878)
The Catholic Church which was founded and instituted by Our Lord Jesus Christ to procure the eternal salvation of men, has, by reason of this divine institution, the form of a perfect society. Therefore, she must possess liberty such that she cannot be subject to any civil power in the execution of her sacred ministry.
To act with freedom, as it is just she should, she has always needed the assistance which was suitable to the conditions and the necessities of the age. It is, therefore, by a particular decree of Divine Providence that, at the fall of the Roman Empire and its partition into separate kingdoms, the Roman Pontiff, whom Christ made the head and center of his entire Church, acquired civil power.
Certainly, it was by a most wise design of God Himself that in the midst of so great a multitude and variety of temporal princes, the Sovereign Pontiff enjoyed political liberty, which is so necessary for him to exercise his spiritual power, his authority, and his jurisdiction over the whole world.
Source: Papal Teachings: The Church, selected and arranged by the Benedictine Monks of Solesmes, translated by Mother E. O’Gorman, R.S.C.J., Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart, St. Paul Editions, Boston, © 1980, 1962 by Daughters of St. Paul, Library of Congress catalog card number 62-12454, par. #225, page 160.
La Chiesa Cattolica fondata e istituita da Cristo Signore per provvedere alla salvezza eterna degli uomini, avendo conseguito, in forza della sua divina istituzione, la forma di società perfetta, deve godere, nell’esercizio del suo sacro ministero, di quella libertà che la sottrae alla soggezione di qualsivoglia potere civile.
Poiché per operare liberamente, come era necessario, doveva fruire di quei supporti che rispondevano alle condizioni e alle esigenze dei tempi, per una speciale disposizione della divina Provvidenza avvenne che, quando l’Impero Romano si dissolse e fu diviso in vari regni, il Romano Pontefice, costituito da Cristo capo e centro di tutta la Chiesa, ottenne un Principato civile.
Questo fu disposto con somma sapienza da Dio stesso, perché in mezzo ad una tale moltitudine e varietà di sovrani temporali, il Sommo Pontefice disponesse di quella libertà politica che era indispensabile per esercitare, senza alcun impedimento, il suo potere spirituale, la sua autorità e la sua giurisdizione sul mondo intero. − Pius IX, Apostolic Letter Cum Catholica Ecclesia, March 26, 1860.
THE ANTICHRIST
by Shaun Willcock
The Present Pope, Like Every Pope Before Him, Is…
Yes! That man, dressed in white, who looks so serene, who calls himself the “Holy Father”, who addresses vast crowds from a balcony in the Vatican, whose followers number over a billion of the world’s inhabitants — that man is the Antichrist! Of him the beloved apostle, John, wrote in the first century, saying, “ye have heard that antichrist shall come” (1 Jn.2:18). And come he did — precisely as prophesied in the Word of God.
The prophesied Antichrist was not Hitler. He was not Mussolini, or Lenin, or Stalin, those monsters of iniquity who appeared on the stage of history for a few brief years, and then went the way of all the earth. He is not some Communist dictator, or Muslim fanatic, alive right now. The Antichrist is the pope of Rome. He is every pope of Rome. The present pope is the Antichrist, the previous pope was the Antichrist, and the pope to come will be the Antichrist. Antichrist is alive today, and Antichrist was alive a hundred years ago, and a thousand years ago. Christians in the Dark Ages came up against Antichrist, and Christians today face him still. Hear the Word of God!
Jesus said, “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matt.24:5). Not just one man at the end of time, but many men, a succession of men, all claiming to come in the name of Christ, and each one of them claiming to be Christ. A succession of men, down through the centuries, one after another, each one spewing forth the same blasphemy. The Antichrist is the pope who is alive at any given moment.
“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many Antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” (1 Jn.2:18). The last times began in the first century, as both John in this verse, and others, make clear (Acts 2:16,17; Heb.1:2; 1 Pet.1:20; Jude 18). There were already, in that first century, many lesser Antichrists; but as John wrote, another was coming, the Antichrist, greater than them all. But when was he to come?
The Bible gives the answer. At the time when John wrote, “the spirit of the Antichrist” was already in the world, but not the Antichrist himself: “and this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world” (1 Jn.4:3). Paul wrote along similar lines: “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way” (2 Thess.2:7). At that early time, the groundwork was being laid for the great and evil religious system that would continue developing as the years went by, finally coming to fruition a few centuries later; the “mystery religions” of ancient Babylon were present, and they were active, and there was a spirit at work, the spirit of Antichrist, guiding these currents along a path that would culminate in the great satanic masterpiece, “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth” (Rev.17:5). And what was that? Nothing less than the Papacy, the religion of the popes, the Roman Catholic system.
Centuries earlier, the prophet Daniel had declared when the Papacy would arise, and where: “I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn” (Dan.7:8). The interpretation of this vision was also given: “And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them” (Dan.7:24). The ten kings (or kingdoms) were the barbarian nations that overran the Roman Empire; and the little horn that came up among them, rising after them, was the Papacy, the kingdom of the popes. So it was prophesied, and so, precisely, was the prophecy fulfilled. And Paul prophesied of the very same thing, when he wrote: “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [restrains; hinders; obstructs] will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed…” (2 Thess.2:6-8).
When he wrote these words, something, and someone, was restraining the full manifestation of that Wicked; that something was the Roman Empire, and that someone was the Roman emperor. But in the fifth century, this restraint was removed, and then that Wicked was revealed. And who was “that Wicked?” The very same as the Antichrist of John’s prophecy! How do we know? By a comparison. John wrote of the Antichrist who was to come; Daniel wrote of the little horn arising after the fall of the Empire; and Paul wrote of the Man of Sin and Son of Perdition (2 Thess.2:3), who would be revealed once the Empire had been taken out of the way.
What, then, do the Scriptures reveal? They reveal that the spirit of Antichrist was at work in the first century already, preparing the way for the coming of the Antichrist. There were many lesser Antichrists, but one was coming who would be the Antichrist. And in fulfilment of the prophecies of Daniel, Paul, and John, he arose on the stage of history a few centuries later, in Europe, being revealed in all his wickedness once the Roman Empire had fallen. History, fulfilling divine prophecy, leaves us in absolutely no doubt as to Antichrist’s identity. It was the Roman Papacy. Just as Christ is the Head of the true Church, so Antichrist is the head of the false “church”. That false “church” is the Roman Catholic institution, perfectly described for us in Rev.17; and the only head of that false “church” is the pope of Rome.
Now, a common objection is usually raised at this point: “How,” it is asked, “can the Papacy be the Antichrist, when the Scripture says that Antichrist denies the Father and the Son; denies that Jesus is the Christ; confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh? The popes do not do this! They acknowledge these things!” In actual fact, the very verses which are pointed to by such objectors provide yet further evidence that every pope of Rome is the Antichrist. Here are the verses: 1 Jn.2:22 says, “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is Antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.” 1 Jn.4:3 says, “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of Antichrist”. And 2 Jn.7 says, “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.
This is a deceiver and an Antichrist.” Those who attempt to use these verses to deny that the pope of Rome is the Antichrist do not understand the meaning of the word. They assume that one who is anti-Christ is one who is openly against Christ; one who openly opposes Him. He must (they argue) be an atheist, a Communist, a Muslim, or a Jew; he cannot be one who professes to love Him, to follow Him, to serve Him, and who calls himself a Christian.
But this is where they are terribly deceived! The Bible shows us clearly that the Antichrist, far from being an atheist, is very religious; and not just religious, but he professes to be a Christian! And none of the verses quoted above contradict this. In fact, they confirm it!
Firstly, the word, “Antichrist”, itself. What does it mean? The Greek, “anti”, means “instead of”. It is often used to designate a substitute. It is used in 1 Tim.2:6 of Christ, who became a ransom, a substitute.
In 2 Thess.2:4, the Antichrist is described a “antikeimenos”(translated as “opposeth”), which means one setting himself in opposition, and particularly as a rival foundation, in the place of, or against, another foundation. Now, 1 Cor.3:11 says that Jesus Christ alone is the foundation. Very significantly, the words are, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ”; and the Greek word for “laid” is “keimenon”. Thus, the Antichrist usurps the place of Christ, the only true foundation!
So, “Antichrist” means a substitute “Christ”, an imitation of Christ — one who claims to take the place of Christ! And this is precisely what the pope of Rome does! He even terms himself “the Vicar of Christ”; and the word, “vicar”, means one who takes the place of another; a substitute. Just as the vice-president is the one who takes the president’s place in his absence, so the Roman pontiff claims to be the Vicar of Christ, the “vice-Christ”, the one who takes the place of Christ on earth! Thus, the “Vicar of Christ” is the Anti-Christ; for the Greek “anti” has the same meaning as the Latin “vicar”.
Secondly, the pope of Rome most certainly denies that Jesus is the Christ; denies the Father and the Son; confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh! How so?
The word, “deny”, as used in these Scriptures, does not automatically imply atheism. Yes, a man may deny the Lord by denying His existence; but he may also deny Him, by apostacy — a departure from the truth! This is very plain from such Scriptures as Matt.10:33, Tit.1:16, and 2 Tim.3:5. Does the pope of Rome deny that Jesus is the Christ? Does he deny the Father and the Son?
Yes; in the following ways: He denies the Lord, firstly, in works. “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Tit.1:16). With their lips the popes profess to know God; but by their evil works they deny Him. A man can profess to be a Christian all he likes, but if his conduct is not godly, the profession of his mouth is worthless (Matt.15:8). If any man is truly in Christ, he is a new creature, and his works will not be the works of darkness. The works of the Papacy are the works of darkness — the works of the spirit of Antichrist. They have a mere form of godliness, but deny the power of true godliness (2 Tim.3:5).
The pope of Rome denies the Lord, secondly, by his damnable heresies. “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them…” (2 Pet.2:1). None can deny that the pope of Rome is a false teacher, who disseminates damnable heresies; and he denies the Lord by these — such evil doctrines as that salvation is by works, and that Mary and so-called “saints” are necessary to salvation, and that Christ must be eaten physically in the blasphemous mass, and that regeneration is by baptism, to name just a very few. And does the pope of Rome confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh?
No, he does not. Oh, he may do it with his lips, saying, “I confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh”; but this is not the meaning of the words. And yes, he may confess such doctrines as the true divinity and humanity of Christ; but the words are not limited to these doctrines. To confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is to confess all the truth about Christ, as revealed in His Word: that He alone is the way to the Father; that there is salvation in no other; that He alone is the Head of the Church; that to eat His flesh and drink His blood, is to partake of Him spiritually, by faith, and not physically; that His sacrifice was perfect and complete and never to be repeated; etc., etc. All these great truths, the popes deny.
Men who in any way deny the truth regarding Christ are Antichrists; and the pope of Rome is the supreme Antichrist, for no one denies the divine truth regarding Christ as he does. The Antichrist, then, far from being an atheist, a Communist, a Jew or a Muslim, is one who claims to be the chief of all Christians, the Vicar of Christ, in fact he reaches the height of blasphemy and claims to be Christ Himself! Lest any think that it cannot be, consider the following: Pius IX was described as “the living Christ”, and “the Lamb of the Vatican”. And in a speech, he said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Pius X said: “The Pope…is Jesus Christ Himself, hidden under the veil of flesh.” Pius XI, on 30 April 1922, in the Vatican throne room, said: “You know that I am the Holy Father, the representative of God on the earth, the Vicar of Christ, which means that I am God on the earth.”
The Canon Law in the Gloss on the Extravaganza of John XXII, AD 1316-1334, calls the Roman pontiff “Our Lord God the Pope.” And this was continued in all editions of the Canon Law up to AD 1612. Martin V was addressed as: “The most holy and most blessed, who holds the celestial jurisdiction, who is Lord over all the earth…the anointed…the ruler of the universe, the father of kings, the Light of the World.” During the Vatican Council, 9 January 1870, it was stated: “The Pope is Christ in office, Christ in jurisdiction and power…we bow down before thy voice, O Pius, as before the voice of Christ, the God of truth; in clinging to thee, we cling to Christ.”
The Roman Catholic theologian, Thomas Aquinas, said: “There is no difference between the Pope and Jesus Christ.” The cardinal, Manning, said: “He [the Roman pope] was elevated to be, in his Divine Master’s Name, King of kings and Lord of lords.” In July 1993, when John Paul II visited Brazil, the Roman Catholic crowds sang, “You are the Christ!” And consider this: this Man of Sin, this Antichrist, usurps Christ’s prophetic office, by claiming to be God’s spokesman on earth; he usurps Christ’s priestly office, by claiming the power to forgive sins, and to offer propitiatory sacrifices in the mass; and he usurps Christ’s kingly office, by claiming to be the head of the Church. What is all this, but claiming to be Christ himself?
What did Jesus say? “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ” (Matt.24:5). How perfectly the prophecy has been fulfilled! So monstrous are his claims, so vile his works, that even Papist apologists have been forced to the inevitable conclusion that the pope, if he is not who he claims to be, must be the Antichrist! Priest Philip Fletcher, editor of the organ of the “Guild of Our Lady of Ransom”, wrote in 1914: “The Vicar of Christ or Antichrist….If the Pope of Rome is not the Vicar of Christ, he must be Antichrist; there is no middle view.” And Arnulphius, at the Council of Rheims, said of the pope: “Verily if he be void of charity…then he is Antichrist.”
Throughout the ages Christians believed that the Papacy was the Antichrist. When the diabolical Jesuit Order came into existence, one of its members, Francisco Ribera, was commissioned to develop a theory of prophetic interpretation that would cause Protestants to turn their gaze from Rome and look elsewhere for the Antichrist. He developed, before the close of the sixteenth century, what came to be known as the “Futuristic” interpretation of prophecy, claiming that the Antichrist was not the pope of Rome, but that he would be someone who would arise in the future.
In time this Popish plot was eminently successful: today, the vast majority of Protestants do not believe the pope of Rome to be the Antichrist. Instead, they are expecting him to be some super-politician who has yet to appear. They have no idea that they are following a theory developed by a Jesuit with the intention of deliberately misleading them. And most, even if they knew the truth, would not care one whit anyway, so besotted have today’s Protestants become with that mystical Babylon on the seven-hilled city, and with the man who heads it. Professing themselves to be Christians, most modern Protestants are as blinded as any Papist, and have eagerly embraced the Antichrist as a servant of Christ!
The Lord Jesus, just before He spoke of those coming in His name and claiming to be Christ, said, “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matt.24:4). Christian reader, take heed that you are not deceived by the teachings of the Jesuit Ribera. Take heed that you are not deceived by those misguided Protestant teachers who have followed in his steps, proclaiming the same fanciful and speculative theories. And take heed that you are not deceived by that Man of Sin and Son of Perdition himself — by his friendly smile, or his crowd-pleasing manners, or his pious-sounding words! Be well-acquainted with the blasphemous doctrines, and blood-stained history, of the system of which he is the head; study these things in the light of the Word of God; and boldly proclaim the same truth which the saints of God through the ages have proclaimed:
THE PAPACY IS THE ANTICHRIST.
When will antichrist come? Early church writers views…
St. Justin Martyr (c. 100-165)
DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO
CHAPTER XXXII — TRYPHO OBJECTING THAT CHRIST IS DESCRIBED AS GLORIOUS BY DANIEL, JUSTIN DISTINGUISHES TWO ADVENTS.
… and he whom Daniel foretells would have dominion for a time, and times, and an half, is even already at the door, about to speak blasphemous and daring things against the Most High. …
Source: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0128.htm
——————————————————————————–
St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130-202)
Adversus haereses (inter A.D. 180/199)
Book V, Chapter 26
John and Daniel have predicted the dissolution and desolation of the Roman Empire, which shall precede the end of the world and the eternal Kingdom of Christ. The Gnostics are refuted, those tools of Satan, who invent another Father different from the Creator.
1. In a still clearer light has John, in the Apocalypse, indicated to the Lord’s disciples what shall happen in the last times, and concerning the ten kings who shall then arise, among whom the empire which now rules [the earth] shall be partitioned. He teaches us what the ten horns shall be which were seen by Daniel, …
Source: http://newadvent.org/fathers/0103526.htm
Book V, Chapter 30
Moreover, another danger, by no means trifling, shall overtake those who falsely presume that they know the name of Antichrist. For if these men assume one [number], when this [Antichrist] shall come having another, they will be easily led away by him, as supposing him not to be the expected one, who must be guarded against.
2. These men, therefore, ought to learn [what really is the state of the case], and go back to the true number of the name, that they be not reckoned among false prophets. But, knowing the sure number declared by Scripture, that is, six hundred sixty and six, let them await, in the first place, the division of the kingdom into ten; then, in the next place, when these kings are reigning, and beginning to set their affairs in order, and advance their kingdom, [let them learn] to acknowledge that he who shall come claiming the kingdom for himself, and shall terrify those men of whom we have been speaking, having a name containing the aforesaid number, is truly the abomination of desolation. …
3. It is therefore more certain, and less hazardous, to await the fulfillment of the prophecy, than to be making surmises, and casting about for any names that may present themselves, inasmuch as many names can be found possessing the number mentioned; and the same question will, after all, remain unsolved. For if there are many names found possessing this number, it will be asked which among them shall the coming man bear. It is not through a want of names containing the number of that name that I say this, but on account of the fear of God, and zeal for the truth: for the name Evanthas (EUAN QAS) contains the required number, but I make no allegation regarding it. Then also Lateinos (LATEINOS) has the number six hundred and sixty-six; and it is a very probable [solution], this being the name of the last kingdom [of the four seen by Daniel]. For the Latins are they who at present bear rule: …
Source: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103530.htm
——————————————————————————–
Tertullian (2nd-3rd Century)
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work; only he who now hinders must hinder, until he be taken out of the way.” What obstacle is there but the Roman state, the falling away of which, by being scattered into ten kingdoms, shall introduce Antichrist upon (its own ruins)? “And then shall be revealed the wicked one, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish.”
Source: http://newadvent.org/fathers/0301.htm
CHAP. XXXII.
There is also another and a greater necessity for our offering prayer in behalf of the emperors, nay, for the complete stability of the empire, and for Roman interests in general. For we know that a mighty shock im (43) pending over the whole earth–in fact, the very end of all things threatening dreadful woes—is only retarded by the continued existence of the Roman empire. We have no desire, then, to be overtaken by these dire events; and in praying that their coming may be delayed, we are lending our aid to Rome’s duration.
Source: http://newadvent.org/fathers/0301.htm
——————————————————————————–
Hippolytus (3rd Century)
TREATISE ON CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST.
25. Then he says: “A fourth beast, dreadful and terrible; it had iron teeth and claws of brass.” And who are these but the Romans? which (kingdom) is meant by the iron–the kingdom which is now established; for the legs of that (image) were of iron. And after this, what remains, beloved, but the toes of the feet of the image, in which part is iron and part clay, mixed together?
And mystically by the toes of the feet he meant the kings who are to arise from among them; as Daniel also says (in the words), “I considered the beast, and lo there were ten horns behind it, among which shall rise another (horn), an offshoot, and shall pluck up by the roots the three (that were) before it.”
And under this was signified none other than Antichrist, who is also himself to raise the kingdom of the Jews. He says that three horns are plucked up by the root by him, viz., the three kings of Egypt, and Libya, and Ethiopia, whom he cuts off in the array of battle. And he, after gaining terrible power over all, being nevertheless a tyrant, shall stir up tribulation and persecution against men, exalting himself against them. For Daniel says: “I considered the horn, and behold that horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them, till the beast was slain and perished, and its body was given to the burning of fire.”
26. …
27. As these things, then, are in the future, and as the ten toes of the image are equivalent to (so many) democracies, and the ten horns of the fourth beast are distributed over ten kingdoms, let us look at the subject a little more closely, and consider these matters as in the clear light of a personal survey.
28. The golden head of the image and the lioness denoted the Babylonians; the shoulders and arms of silver, and the bear, represented the Persians and Medes; the belly and thighs of brass, and the leopard, meant the Greeks, who held the sovereignty from Alexander’s time; the legs of iron, and the beast dreadful and terrible, expressed the Romans, who hold the sovereignty at present; the toes of the feet which were part clay and part iron, and the ten horns, were emblems of the kingdoms that are yet to rise; the other little horn that grows up among them meant the Antichrist in their midst; the stone that smites the earth and brings judgment upon the world was Christ.
Source: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0516.htm
——————————————————————————–
St. Cyprian of Carthage (3rd Century)
TREATISE XI.
EXHORTATION TO MARTYRDOM, ADDRESSED TO FORTUNATUS.
PREFACE.
1. You have desired, beloved Fortunatus that, l since the burden of persecutions and afflictions is lying heavy upon us, and in the ending and completion of the world the hateful time of Antichrist is already beginning to draw near, I would collect from the sacred Scriptures some exhortations for preparing and strengthening the minds of the brethren, whereby I might animate the soldiers of Christ for the heavenly and spiritual contest.
Source: http://newadvent.org/fathers/0507.htm
——————————————————————————–
Lactantius Firminianous (4th Century)
Divine Institutions (Divinae Institutiones)
Book VII, Chapter 25, OF THE LAST TIMES, AND OF THE CITY OF ROME:
These are the things which are spoken of by the prophets as about to happen hereafter: … The subject itself declares that the fall and ruin of the world will shortly take place; except that while the city of Rome remains it appears that nothing of this kind is to be feared. But when that capital of the world shall have fallen, and shall have begun to be a street, which the Sibyls say shall come to pass, who can doubt that the end has now arrived to the affairs of men and the whole world? It is that city, that only, which still sustains all things; and the God of heaven is to be entreated by us and implored — if, indeed, His arrangements and decrees can be delayed — lest, sooner than we think for, that detestable tyrant should come who will trader-take so great a deed, and dig out that eye, by the destruction of which the world itself is about to fall.
Source: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/07017.htm
——————————————————————————–
St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 315-386) Doctor of the Church
Catechetical Lectures
LECTURE XV.
ON THE CLAUSE, AND SHALL COME IN GLORY TO JUDGE THE QUICK AND THE DEAD; OF WHOSE KINGDOM THERE SHALL BE NO END, DANIEL vii. 9–14.
12. But this aforesaid Antichrist is to come when the times of the Roman empire shall have been fulfilled, and the end of the world is now drawing near. There shall rise up together ten kings of the Romans, reigning in different parts perhaps, but all about the same time; and after these an eleventh, the Antichrist, who by his magical craft shall seize upon the Roman power; and of the kings who reigned before him, three he shall humble, and the remaining seven he shall keep in subjection to himself. At first indeed he will put on a show of mildness (as though he were a learned and discreet person), and of soberness and benevolence: and by the lying [108] signs and wonders of his magical deceit a having beguiled the Jews, as though he were the expected Christ, he shall afterwards be characterized by all kinds of crimes of inhumanity and lawlessness, so as to outdo all unrighteous and ungodly men who have gone before him displaying against all men, but especially against us Christians, a spirit murderous and most cruel, merciless and crafty. And after perpetrating such things for three years and six months only, he shall be destroyed by the glorious second advent from heaven of the only-begotten Son of God, our Lord and Saviour Jesus, the true Christ, who shall slay Antichrist with the breath of His mouth, and shall deliver him over to the fire of hell.
Source: http://newadvent.org/fathers/310115.htm
——————————————————————————–
St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) Doctor of the Church
Homilies on Second Thessalonians
HOMILY IV. 2 THESSALONIANS ii. 6–9.
“And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season. For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of His coming: even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan.”
ONE may naturally enquire, what is that which withholdeth, and after that would know, why Paul expresses it so obscurely. What then is it that withholdeth, that is, hindereth him from being revealed? Some indeed say, the grace of the Spirit, but others the Roman empire, to whom I most of all accede. Wherefore? Because if he meant to say the Spirit, he would not have spoken obscurely, but plainly, that even now the grace of the Spirit, that is the gifts, withhold him. And otherwise he ought now to have come, if he was about to come when the gifts ceased; for they have long since ceased. But because he said this of the Roman empire, he naturally glanced at it, and speaks covertly and darkly. For he did not wish to bring upon himself superfluous enmities, and useless dangers. … And he did not say that it will be quickly, although he is always saying it–but what? “that he may be revealed in his own season,” he says, “For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work.” He speaks here of Nero, as if he were the type of Antichrist. For he too wished to be thought a god. And he has well said, “the mystery”; that is, it worketh not openly, as the other, nor without shame. For if there was found a man before that time, he means, who was not much behind Antichrist in wickedness, what wonder, if there shall now be one? But he did not also wish to point him out plainly: and this not from cowardice, but instructing us not to bring upon ourselves unnecessary enmities, when there is noting to call for it. So indeed he also says here. “Only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way,” that is, when the Roman empire is taken out of the way, then he shall come. And naturally. For as long as the fear of this empire lasts, no one will willingly exit himself, but when that is dissolved, he will attack the anarchy, and endeavor to seize upon the government both of man and of God. For as the kingdoms before this were destroyed, for example, that of the Medes by the Babylonians, that of the Babylonians by the Persians, that of the Persians by the Macedonians, that of the Macedonians by the Romans: so will this also be by the Antichrist, and he by Christ, and it will no longer withhold. And these things Daniel delivered to us with great clearness.
“And then,” he says, “shall be revealed the lawless one.” And what after this? The consolation is at hand. “Whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of His coming, even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan.”
Source: http://newadvent.org/fathers/23054.htm
——————————————————————————–
St. Jerome (c. 340-420) Doctor of the Church
Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 7, Verse 8:
“… We should therefore concur with the traditional interpretation of all the commentators of the Christian Church, that at the end of the world, when the Roman Empire is to be destroyed, there shall be ten kings who will partition the Roman world amongst themselves. Then an insignificant eleventh king will arise, who will overcome three of the ten kings, …”
Source: http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/jerome_daniel_02_text.htm
Letter CXXIII
TO AGERUCHIA (409)
16. But what am I doing? Whilst I talk about the cargo, the vessel itself founders. He that letteth is taken out of the way, and yet we do not realize that Antichrist is near. Yes, Antichrist is near whom the Lord Jesus Christ “shall consume with the spirit of his mouth.” “Woe unto them,” he cries, “that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days.” …
17. … For thirty years the barbarians burst the barrier of the Danube and fought in the heart of the Roman Empire. Long use dried our tears. For all but a few old people had been born either in captivity or during a blockade, and consequently they did not miss a liberty which they had never known. Yet who will hereafter credit the fact or what histories will seriously discuss it, that Rome has to fight within her own borders not for glory but for bare life; …
Source: http://newadvent.org/fathers/3001123.htm
——————————————————————————–
St. Augustine of Hippo (345 – 430) Doctor of the Church
City of God, Book XX, Chapter 19
For what does he [Paul] mean by “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now holdeth, let him hold until he be taken out of the way: and then shall the wicked be revealed?” [2 Thess 2] I frankly confess I do not know what he means. … However, it is not absurd to believe that these words of the apostle, “Only he who now holdeth, let him hold until he be taken out of the way,” refer to the Roman empire, as if it were said, “Only he who now reigneth, let him reign until he be taken out of the way.” “And then shall the wicked be revealed:” no one doubts that this means Antichrist.
Source: http://newadvent.org/fathers/120120.htm
Herzl meets Pope Pius X
http://www.bunyanministries.org/books/israel_and_millennialism/22_app_l_herzl_meets_pope_pius.pdf
Vatican/Jewish Relations improve
“The relationship today between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people is a blessed transformation in our times — arguably without historic parallel,” said Rosen. He added that “this striking transformation” is not complete, as more time is needed to overcome the “contempt” toward Jews that had been spread for centuries.
However, improvement in relations has taken root, and Rosen was quick to note that there are some countries where Catholic-Jewish relations have progressed more than in others.
In the United States, he explained, “Jews and Christians live in an open society side by side as vibrant self-confident and civically engaged minorities. As a result the relationship has advanced there to a unique degree involving cooperation and exchanges between the communities and their educational institutions; and today the US boasts literally dozens of academic institutions for Catholic-Jewish studies and relations, while there are perhaps three in the rest of the world.
“Indeed, there is a widespread perception among the Jewish communities in the United States of the Catholic Church as a genuine friend with profound values and interests in common.”
http://www.zenit.org/article-30646?l=english
Progress in Holy See-Israel Talks
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 14, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The working session of the Holy See-Israel commission to negotiate the terms of the 1993 Fundamental Agreement took place last week “in a cordial atmosphere.”
A joint communiqué issued after Thursday’s session, issued by the Bilateral Working Commission Between the Holy See and the State of Israel, noted that the meeting “produced progress toward the desired agreement.”
The statement revealed no details of the agreements as the meetings operate under the principle of “nothing is agreed upon until everything is agreed upon.”
The Fundamental Agreement established diplomatic relationships between the Holy See and Israel. Since then, the two sides have been negotiating the particulars of tax exemptions and property rights for the Church, in particular for the holy sites.
http://www.zenit.org/article-30958?l=english
Concordat Watch Israel/Palestine/Vatican
http://www.concordatwatch.eu/showsite.php?org_id=941
The Vatican’s triple crown: church, government and state
http://www.concordatwatch.eu/showtopic.php?org_id=871&kb_header_id=823
I never saw this article before. This is really good research.
This is fascism in it’s purist form.
Scary little article isn’t it?
Links to same post, but with more links in the comment section (since I keep forgetting to add my links to both posts:
http://dawnmarie4.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/pope-piux-ix-the-catholic-church-procures-salvation-for-men/
TONY BLAIR, RICK WARREN & THE NEW WORLD RELIGION
http://www.adullamfilms.com/NewsUpdateNov062009.html
Global Religion: The Religious Face of the NWO. From the Vatican to the White House to the United Religions Initiative
http://www.usasurvival.org/docs/Global_Religion.pdf
World Congress to Renew Sacred Heart Devotion
Interview With Organizer, Father William Petrie
By Genevieve Pollock
PARAY-LE-MONIAL, France, FEB. 24, 2011 (Zenit.org).- A first-time world congress is inviting people to the birthplace of Sacred Heart devotion to reflect on God’s love and promote a civilization of love in their families and societies…
Many who have had the enthronement in their homes speak about the transforming graces received upon the family that brings positive changes and conversion back to the Church…
For the participants, it can be an opportunity for being messengers of God’s love as symbolized in the Pierced Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This first global congress of the Sacred Heart is a preparation for implementing the mission of going to all continents with the message of God’s love in the home.
http://www.zenit.org/article-31843?l=english
Benedict XVI puts world in Mary’s Hands:
POMPEII, Italy, OCT. 19, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI placed the world in Mary’s hands during his one-day visit to the shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii, near Naples.
The Pope’s leading of the Supplication of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary, a prayer written by Blessed Bartolo Longo (1841-1926) was one of the high points of this 12th pastoral trip in Italy.
“We implore you to have pity today on the nations that have gone astray, on all Europe, on the whole world, that they might repent and return to your heart,” the text of the prayer reads.
With the words of Bartolo, the Pontiff turned to Mary, saying: “If you will not help us because we are ungrateful and unworthy children of your protection, we will not know to whom to turn.”
In a gesture of filial love, the Pope then offered the Madonna a golden rose.
The Holy Father traveled by helicopter this morning to Pompeii, and was welcomed by 50,000 faithful. This is the third time a Pope has visited the shrine.
Pompeii was destroyed by the lava and ashes from the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D.
The new Pompeii arose 1,796 years later, when, in 1872, Bartolo Longo, a lawyer and lay Dominican, built a church dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary.
The shrine contains an image of Mary to which hundreds of miracles and healings are attributed.
http://www.zenit.org/article-23987?l=english
Pope calls for evangelization of economy
http://sueliz1.wordpress.com/2011/05/17/benedict-xvi-calls-for-evangelization-of-economy/
Pope: Confession a Key Part of Evangelization
Reminds Priests to Also Seek Out the Sacrament
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 9, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI today received 1,300 priests and deacons who are participating in an annual course regarding confession and matters of conscience, organized by the Apostolic Penitentiary.
According to the Vatican Information Service, Benedict XVI underscored the importance of adequate theological, spiritual and canonical preparation for confessors, noting that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is essential to the life of faith and is closely associated with the announcement of the Gospel. “The Sacraments and the announcement of the Word must, in fact never be seen as separate from one another”, he said. “The priest represents Christ, the Envoy of the Father, and continues His mission through ‘word’ and ‘Sacrament’, in the totality of body and soul, of sign and word”.
Thus sacramental Confession is an important aspect of new evangelisation. “True conversion of hearts, which means opening ourselves to the transforming and regenerative action of God, is the ‘motor’ of all reform and turns into an authentic force for evangelisation. During Confession, the repentant sinner, thanks to the gratuitous action of divine Mercy, is justified, forgiven and sanctified. … Only those who allow themselves to be profoundly renewed by divine Grace can internalise and therefore announce the novelty of the Gospel”. All the saints of history bear witness to this close relationship between sanctity and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. New evangelisation itself “draws life blood from the sanctity of the sons and daughters of the Church, from the daily process of individual and community conversion, conforming itself ever more profoundly to Christ”.
The Pope reminded his audience that, in administering the Sacrament of Penance, priests are instruments facilitating the meeting between mankind and God. The repentant sinner feels a profound desire to change, to receive mercy, to re-experience, through the Sacrament, “the encounter and embrace of Christ.
Read More Here: http://www.zenit.org/article-34434?l=english